Face the Interview
Using your face to maximum effect can also help you impress a potential employer. You don't have to be the most beautiful person on the face of the earth to land a job, but you do have to show that you posses some basic skills … like listening. You won't have to take a hearing test, but you should know how to look interested, friendly, and eager to discuss any topic the interviewer throws your way.
No Angry People Need Apply
There are certain head and facial gestures that won't win you many points with an interviewer. They include:
Excessive frowning
Bad eye contact
A head angled toward the floor (or toward the window, for that matter)
Pursed, tense lips
Basically, you want to avoid appearing as though you're an angry or bored person. Why? Well, angry, bored people generally don't make excellent employees. You see, they tend to do things like complain about their work and/or fight with their coworkers. (Now, you also don't want to go to the opposite extreme and act as though you've just had a shot of pure adrenaline prior to entering the interviewer's office. Employees who are all hopped up tend to make other people … well, nervous.)
Wanted: Shiny, Happy People
You want your facial expressions to give the impression that you can slide right into the office environment without causing a whole lot of disruption. You want to appear to be someone who works well with others. To that end, you want to wear a somewhat “neutral face,” at least for part of your interview. What does this mean, exactly? The true neutral face is devoid of emotion. This isn't the exact look you're going for, so you can dress yours up a little — for example:
Your eyes are wide (but not overly so)
Your mouth is neutral, perhaps just on the verge of smiling
Your eyebrows may be slightly raised
Your head is slightly angled to the side, and/ or perhaps nodding from time to time
This face lets the other person know that you're engaged in what she's saying. You're listening intently and formulating your answers even as the other person is speaking. You're making the interviewer feel as though she is important and interesting — and that's not a bad signal to send to the person who has the authority to offer you a job.
A good interview face is one that is slightly smiling, alert, and has a slight head-tilt to convey that you are listening.
